I've got a lot of seeds I haven't used up from the past two or three years, and I promised myself I wouldn't buy more until I've used what I've got. With such a variety of ages and sources, there's no telling what will make it to harvest, especially with the older seeds. But it's either throw them away or throw them in dirt to see what happens. Here's my general plan of attack for starting anything from seed…

I am a mother, a wife, an individual, a runner, a crappy cleaner with a pretty messy house, I like to read, and write…. But what have I really done with that lately? What makes my life enjoyable and worth living? That evening, upon returning home, I thought of a million excuses why I should just go inside and call it a night, but I made a different choice.

Remember when I first introduced you to Offbeat Home sponsor Jordandene? I gave you geek chic shirts for big kids, and you explored the site and found the geek chic items for little kids. Let's talk about Jordandene's awesome kids clothes and accessories (including the BEST FREAKING GIFT FOR KIDS of all time). Plus there's a special discount for any Jordandene stuff you like.

When we first took our cat Princess in, her old owners said she had mild muscle spasms, but they were nothing to worry about. We discovered less than a week later that her muscle spasms were actually seizures. Over the past four years my wife and I have learned a lot from this journey with Princess. These are the top ten things we’ve learned…

For some reason, watching the minute hand inch toward a deadline doesn’t help me get the work done faster, but it does make me more anxious; who would have guessed? If you think you may be an obsessive, subconscious clock-checker, I highly recommend you conduct your own experiment.

Recent Home

I've got a lot of seeds I haven't used up from the past two or three years, and I promised myself I wouldn't buy more until I've used what I've got. With such a variety of ages and sources, there's no telling what will make it to harvest, especially with the older seeds. But it's either throw them away or throw them in dirt to see what happens. Here's my general plan of attack for starting anything from seed…

The blotting papers you see for sale are often made from rice paper, but this DIY version is next-to free, and works pretty well! Theoretically, you could make these any colour or shape you like, which makes it way more fun.

A spell of weirdly warm weather got me rummaging around in my little gardening closet, and I stumbled across something that would fill any home gardener with horror. I'd completely forgotten that I had bought a bunch of tulip and hyacinth bulbs late last summer.

I was taking a little trip back in the Offbeat Home Flickr pool and found some crafty gold! One Homie upload a tutorial for how to make your own paper, and one Homie to covered her fauxidermied deer head with book pages. Keep reading to learn how to make all things papery…

I have had many clever and functional Ikea storage solutions gather dust because I can't help but let my clothes pile up on the floor. So when I moved in with my boyfriend I knew I could't let stuff pile up, but I also knew I would never be able to fight my piling ways forever. So just like you do in any relationship, I compromised with myself. I bought cheap hampers to separate my clothes into contained pile — keeping them clean and within reach.

Cooking odors seem to permeate the place, whether or not I close the bedroom doors while cooking. It gets into our bedding, and clothes. We're pretty diligent about doing the dishes, washing bedding, and cleaning the floor. Aside from opening the windows (impossible this time of year) and turning on fans, do you have any tips or tricks to offer us to keep our home smelling fresh and inviting?

I am a mother, a wife, an individual, a runner, a crappy cleaner with a pretty messy house, I like to read, and write…. But what have I really done with that lately? What makes my life enjoyable and worth living? That evening, upon returning home, I thought of a million excuses why I should just go inside and call it a night, but I made a different choice.

For some reason, watching the minute hand inch toward a deadline doesn’t help me get the work done faster, but it does make me more anxious; who would have guessed? If you think you may be an obsessive, subconscious clock-checker, I highly recommend you conduct your own experiment.

The blotting papers you see for sale are often made from rice paper, but this DIY version is next-to free, and works pretty well! Theoretically, you could make these any colour or shape you like, which makes it way more fun.

When I first started to work in schools, it seemed like a no brainer that I had to build myself a professional wardrobe. And then this past year, I tried a little experiment. What if I just started wearing jeans? I’d still look nice. Clean, groomed, all that jazz. But no makeup, certainly no heels, and no dress pants. A couple of things happened…

Day One is a diary app for your phone and desktop, and it's changed my relationship with my therapist, myself, and by extension, everyone I know. How does keeping an electronic diary make this much of a difference in one's life? It's got a single sexy feature that's just a straight-up self-care-strategizing, mood-monitoring game-changer. Let me explain…

Last November I threw a potluck Friendsgiving. What made it a little tricky (and very nerve-wracking up until) is that I share a one-bedroom apartment with a platonic friend where I live in the living room. I was worried that we wouldn't fit, or that we wouldn't be comfortable, or that the pole would get in the way, etc. Here's how I made it work…

Recent Food

Indian-style Dal is a wonderful, thick, delicious soup that becomes a stew the longer it sits. The warming spices offer a welcome change from the traditional choice of chicken noodle, and the recipe is seriously, ridiculously, easily adaptable. As long as you have a few staple ingredients, you can make it with whatever you have lingering in your freezer or produce drawer and still manage to have something that tastes rich and delicious.

If you ask my mom, there's only one way to make cornbread and that's in a cast iron skillet with THIS recipe. And while I find many cornbreads enjoyable (shh don't tell mom), there really is something about this recipe that makes it my favorite.

This recipe was what my mom used for our birthday cakes growing up instead of regular cake, because that's exactly what we'd ask for. It's a special occasion dessert, so we don't have it very often, but when we do… Oh my!

My husband and I had a cheese shortbread that was so delicious that I wanted to try to recreate it at home. After looking through dozens of recipes none of them were exactly what I was looking for, so I grabbed what I liked from a few and combined them into my own creation. Here is the recipe I ended up with…

Lately I have a had a fascination with casseroles, and how many different things can be put into them — or, in my, case changed into one. I found that those oh so wonderful, grilled, juicy, concoctions called cheeseburgers can be made into a casserole. I like to call this recipe the "Deconstructed Cheeseburger Casserole."

While February 2nd is known as Groundhog Day in North America. In Europe, we don't have groundhogs (or Bill Murray), but an old pagan-turned-Christian celebration. In France, it is called Chandeleur, aka Pancake Day! Everyone, Christian or not, rejoices in stuffing themselves out with crêpes (French-style pancakes). Now we don't need excuses to eat pancakes all year long (and we certanly do), so here's my recipe…

Perhaps you’ve noticed it, too: people who are good cooks have a habit of saying something like “oh, you just toss some things together, whatever you have on hand.” I didn’t think it was possible, but I’ve become one of those people. Here's how I went from a person who needs a recipe to a person who can just make it up as I go

Recent People

Kira, the platonic wife in question, is sapiosexual, and we have known each other for about seven years; she and her heterosexual husband have been married for about two years. So why "platonic wife" instead of "best friend" or "really close friend"? Really it comes down to the fact that I consider her as important and as "legitimate" of a relationship as my relationships with my husband and partner.

Since getting married (oh, who am I kidding, since before getting married), people have started asking me how many kids I want. I answer truthfully, somewhere between zero to two — my husband and I do not know if we want to have kids. It’s not as if the decision needs to be made today, but it can be a bit disconcerting to be so ambivalent about something so major, especially when it seems like everyone else has the answer.

Lately every time we see family or friends though the conversation always comes around to, "So, when's the wedding?" Our answers never seem to satisfy anyone, and it's a bummer to feel like those closest to us no longer feel like our relationship is "enough," even though we are really happy. Homies, does anyone have a really good script or advice for dealing with family and friends who want to pressure you about your relationship status?

We got this submission from nine-year-old Amaya who says she's concerned that many children are being rejected by their families because of their sexuality or gender identity. She hopes that kids will read this article and understand that they don't have to be afraid, and that they are not alone.

I knew of asexuality but I thought that it was cut and dry, I didn't understand it was a spectrum. I thought "well that doesn't apply to me, I want sex sometimes." Then I became made aware that things like Demi Asexual and Grey Asexual were, well, things.

My family only has one car, which my husband uses to commute an hour to work each day. But that doesn't stop my family from going out and enjoying our neighbourhood. I still drop my son off at preschool a few mornings a week, enjoy library programs, and our awesome local fair-trade coffee shop. If you've got two feet, a heartbeat, and some basic gear, sub-zero temperatures and snow can't get in the way…

I’ve been having sex with my husband for about six years. However, only recently was the first time I had sex where I felt no pain. I have been dealing with painful sex for the entire time that I have been sexually active. I am sharing this to let other women know they are not alone.

Recent Pets

When we first took our cat Princess in, her old owners said she had mild muscle spasms, but they were nothing to worry about. We discovered less than a week later that her muscle spasms were actually seizures. Over the past four years my wife and I have learned a lot from this journey with Princess. These are the top ten things we’ve learned…

When we were getting ready to adopt our two ex-racing greyhounds, I bought a flannel duvet cover at a charity shop, studied a couple of pillowcase patterns, and made these giant pillows. This is my step-by-step tutorial for making a large puppy bed in a pillow shape, out of an old duvet cover and duvet. Only beginner sewing skills and supplies are required!

I love the miracle that is the Kong. It keeps my dog calm most of the time when I leave my house. But I can tell her excitement is dwindling. I was wondering what kind of Kong recipes the Homies had for keep their dogs interest?

I have had my cat, Maya, for five years, and I love her to pieces… 23 hours a day. That other hour, though, I want to chuck her across my bedroom and accompany her flight with a loud string of expletives. She used to wake me up around six for breakfast which was fine. But now she starts at 5, or 3, or 1 effing 30 in the morning, picking at whatever might be lying around, and singing the song of her people.

We're recent transplants to Austin, Texas and boy-oh-boy are the fleas some resilient little fuckers down here. I've always given monthly flea/tick spot treatments to my cat and my dog, but that doesn't do the trick here like it did in colder, dryer climates. There's lots of information on how to prevent flea infestation, but what to do once you've got 'em?

The most persisting hot topic in my life as a mom is the fact that we have two Pit bulls. Well, an American Staffordshire Terrier and a Pit mix extraordinaire to be exact, but really we all know regardless of what I call them they'll always just be Pit bulls. Are you nervous? Oh please don't be!

Before we continue, two things: One, I am not a veterinarian. This is simply what has worked for us and our pup. Two, we are about to talk about poop. LOTS OF POOP. If you're eating a tasty burrito, maybe set it down 'til we're done.

The blotting papers you see for sale are often made from rice paper, but this DIY version is next-to free, and works pretty well! Theoretically, you could make these any colour or shape you like, which makes it way more fun.

I was taking a little trip back in the Offbeat Home Flickr pool and found some crafty gold! One Homie upload a tutorial for how to make your own paper, and one Homie to covered her fauxidermied deer head with book pages. Keep reading to learn how to make all things papery…

We just talked about how to break the news of a divorce on social media. While on our sister site Offbeat Bride we're talking about what to do with that perfectly-fitting wedding dress after you divorce. However, you don't have to be going through a divorce to reap the benefits of this DIY. Plus there's a super-uplifting story to boot…

When we were getting ready to adopt our two ex-racing greyhounds, I bought a flannel duvet cover at a charity shop, studied a couple of pillowcase patterns, and made these giant pillows. This is my step-by-step tutorial for making a large puppy bed in a pillow shape, out of an old duvet cover and duvet. Only beginner sewing skills and supplies are required!

My mom does not like cutting down trees, so she refuses to do traditional Christmas trees. She also hates plasticky stuff, so no fake trees. She's since developed a perfect no-kill Christmas tree. It's conical! It's solid! It smells delicious! Here's how she does it.

Recent Shopping

Remember when I first introduced you to Offbeat Home sponsor Jordandene? I gave you geek chic shirts for big kids, and you explored the site and found the geek chic items for little kids. Let's talk about Jordandene's awesome kids clothes and accessories (including the BEST FREAKING GIFT FOR KIDS of all time). Plus there's a special discount for any Jordandene stuff you like.

I'm crappy at every craft ever, but coloring… dudes, I'm awesome at that AND it's something I can do while I have a glass (bottle?) of wine. And then I stumbled upon the world of adult coloring books. Check these guys out…

This is probably the classiest and (perhaps) subtlest Star Wars nerd poster of all time! But there's so much more where that came from — search Star Wars chalkboard art on Amazon and let your fanboy minds get blown away.

I have a rounded alcove in my living room, which I think would be perfect for a hanging chair. I know that Megan is a master at finding cool shit on the internet, so I'm hoping she can find me some cool hanging chair options. Help me hang out in my living room?

Oh hai, Sir Catspian shower curtain! I just met you and I'm in love with you. Maybe it's your suit of armor, or the fact that you're riding a freaking narwhal like a horsie. Or perhaps it's just the expression of pure (purr?) joy on your face…

Look y'all, I know nothing about babies (except how they're made — OHHHHH!). But I know that when it comes to the world of baby registries, there are two main options that I've had to endure: Taking my chances and hand-picking an items in a store, or using a redeem-as-cash registry online. Our sponsor BabyList is the perfect hybrid between the two — not as frightening as going into a store, not as faceless as cash. Here's how it works, for both baby havers and baby shoppers…

Hey, welcome to Offbeat Home & Life, the sister site of Offbeat Bride and Offbeat Families. We're all about supporting you as you create a space in this world where you feel comfortable. Got a story to share? Email us!

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Hey, welcome to Offbeat Home & Life, the sister site of Offbeat Bride and Offbeat Families. We're all about supporting you as you create a space in this world where you feel comfortable. Got a story to share? Email us!